St George Illawarra Dragons vs New Zealand Warriors – Friday night – WIN Stadium, Wollongong

Dragons fans: "The Dragons have finally got their ship in order and organised a coach for next season and beyond, and now they can just get on with things."

Ben Hunt: "Hold my beer."

The people of New South Wales would eat their own young, so it won't surprise me if Ben Hunt gets booed at Wollongong on Friday night. He's been named to back up from a late night in Brisbane on Wednesday, and he's already told the club he'd rather not be there, but let's just wait and see shall we. While I understand the frustrations of the Dragons fans, they should remember that he has been a shining light for this club in recent years. They haven't won many games of late, but when they do, it's usually because Hunt has dragged them over the line. He finished 3rd in the 2022 Dally M Awards (and 10th in 2021), with tallies that were a long way in front of the next best Dragon. He also wasn't at the infamous barbecue. To this outsider, it doesn't look like Ben Hunt is the problem the Dragons need to fix. Without Hunt, the next most senior leader in that squad is Jack De Belin, who will play his 200th game on Friday night. Jack was cleared of serious sexual assault charges so he's free to move on with his life of course. His partner was very pregnant at the time, so to this outsider, he doesn't strike me as the person with the leadership qualities to pull the Dragons out of the mire. Perhaps I'm wrong. I am an outsider after all. Meanwhile the Warriors, who sacrificed plenty through the COVID years while the Dragons had a barbecue, are playing attractive football and winning games (and hearts). Often the Warriors struggle to win games in Australia, but this season they've picked up away wins over the Cowboys, Sharks, Bulldogs and Raiders. They should win this, and I expect they'll be playing finals football in 2023.

Verdict – Warriors by 8

Result – Warriors 48 defeated Dragons 18

Redcliffe Dolphins vs Parramatta Eels – Saturday afternoon – Sunshine Coast Stadium

In round 15 the Sea Eagles beat the Dolphins 58 to 18. In round 16 the Eels beat the Sea Eagles 34 to 4. Now the Eels play the Dolphins and, based on those form lines, the Eels should win by about 80. They won't of course, nothing like it, but I do expect the Eels to prevail. I noted that Tabuai-Fidow was a bit proppy from time to time on Wednesday night, so I'm slightly concerned he might be a late withdrawal on Saturday.

Verdict – Eels by 14

Result – Eels 48 defeated Dolphins 20

Penrith Panthers vs Newcastle Knights – Saturday night – BlueBet Stadium

The Panthers have named all five of their Origin players, including Luai who was fined but not suspended for his head butt on Wednesday - he should probably get some lessons in 'what not to do on social media', but I'll let that pass for now. They have also named Moses Leota, who was on personal leave last week. For the Knights, Tyson Frizell will back up from Wednesday also. These sides met in round seven in Newcastle, where the Panthers prevailed by a solitary point. It wasn't the Panthers best performance, but they still did enough to win. It's fair to say they've been a better side since then. Couple that with home ground advantage, and you'd expect the Panthers to get the points on Saturday.

Verdict – Panthers by 8

Result – Panthers 20 defeated Knights 12

Melbourne Storm vs Manly Sea Eagles – Saturday night – AAMI Park

The Storm have named their three Origin players (Munster, Grant, Coates) and they also welcome back Christian Welch and Justin Olam this week. That's some handy firepower to bring into a team that won 28-6 away from home last week. For the Sea Eagles, they face another season without their most dynamic player. A lot of responsibility rests on the shoulders of Daly Cherry-Evans, who has had a bit to do already this week. It's a lot to ask, and this is a bridge too far.

Verdict – Storm by 10

Result – Storm 24 defeated Sea Eagles 6

Brisbane Broncos vs Gold Coast Titans – Sunday afternoon – Suncorp Stadium

Well this game changed complexion quickly, with the dismissal of Titans coach Holbrook and the announcement of his replacement (Des Hasler). Some respect to the Titans for getting all this done without it being a media circus (take note Dragons), and commiserations to Holbrook, who has improved the Titans roster considerably on his watch. Plenty of players backing up (or not backing up) from Wednesday night for this, so keep an eye out for team changes. For all but Payne Haas, the venue will bring happy memories for those that played here in Origin game two. In round seven these sides met on the Gold Coast where the Titans scored their traditional 26 points but conceded 43. In their last two outings the Titans have scored 28 points, so some gradual improvement there. They can clearly score points, but defence remains the issue. Plenty of points on Sunday afternoon folks.

Verdict – Broncos by 16

Result – Titans 18 defeated Broncos 12

South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys – Sunday afternoon – Accor Stadium

The game that has had me scratching my over-sized novelty head more than ever other game this round. The Cowboys have found some form and their Origin quartet should be in fine spirits this week. I've ended up siding with the Bunnies, when I realised that the last two wins for the Cowboys were at home, and their performances on the road have been pretty darn ordinary. Still no sign of Mitchell in the Rabbitohs line-up, but there were whispers he might play in this. One more week perhaps.

Verdict – Rabbitohs by 4

Result – Cowboys 31 defeated Rabbitohs 6

Sydney Roosters vs Canberra Raiders – Sunday night – Allianz Stadium

A much-needed win for the Chooks last week against the Knights, and they did it without Tedesco or Collins - both are likely to play on Sunday. Hudson Young is the only Raider backing up from Origin, and he's expected to back up also. The rest of the Raiders have had a bye week and should be feeling refreshed. Generally speaking, teams coming off the bye perform well. I'm not concerned about the Raiders playing away from home either - they've won their last four games on the road, and away scalps have included the Broncos and the Rabbitohs. I am concerned about the Roosters attack. In their last ten outings they've scored 20 or more points on just three occasions. Those games were against the 15th placed Dragons (twice) and the 16th placed Bulldogs. They've scored less points this season than any other team. It could all magically click into gear one day and they'll rack up 40, but it's hard to tip them against a genuine top eight side until you've seen it happen.

Verdict – Raiders by 4

Result – Raiders 20 defeated Roosters 18

Wally Lewis - round seventeen selections (in bold)

Note: tips from Wally will be published on Wednesday night or Thursday morning

• Dragons vs WARRIORS
• DOLPHNS vs Eels
• PANTHERS vs Knights
• STORM vs Sea Eagles
• BRONCOS vs Titans
• RABBITOHS vs Cowboys
• ROOSTERS vs Raiders